Sterling Read online

  “That’s pretty much the sum of it.”

  “That’s barbaric,” she said. “It’s just—” Becca paused as he wiped his forehead. He didn’t look good. Sweat gathered on his upper lip and forehead; the lab jacket clung to his clothes. Becca rolled her stool to his table. “You okay, Milton?”

  He sat back on the lab stool and ran his hands over his thighs. “They didn’t dose me this morning.”

  “What?” Worried, she turned to study him more closely. “Are you sure they didn’t think you’d dosed—”

  “No, Becca,” he said sharply. “They know what they’re doing. And of course, they dosed you. I’ve failed to find the answers they seek. You’re the new kid on the block. They don’t need me anymore. Out with me. In with you.”

  She drew back, shocked at the harshness of his words.

  He scrubbed his jaw. “I’m sorry. I’m not myself. It feels like I’ve swallowed acid, and it’s eating me alive.”

  She softened instantly and touched his hand. It was clammy, yet he shivered as if cold. She cut the other scientists a quick look, contemplating complaining, but the men cast an evil smile, clearly amused at Milton’s suffering.

  A buzzer sounded, and the electronic steel doors, the only entrance or exit to the lab directly in front of their table, slid open. Dressed in green army fatigues, a tall man radiating power entered with two wolves by his side. Becca wanted to throw up. This was Adam Rain, and this man and these pet wolves of his had been in the pictures with Sterling.

  Beside him was his son Dorian, dressed in matching fatigues, and looking every bit twelve at six months old. “So nice of you to join us, Ms. Burns,” Adam said, motioning to Dorian. “Meet my son, who cured you of your cancer.”

  The boy’s gaze settled on Becca, his black eyes boring into hers with such darkness and depth she felt as if she were being sucked into them.

  “What good news do you have for me, Milton?”

  Adam’s question jolted her from whatever hold the boy’s eyes had on her, and she glanced at Milton, who looked like he was about to choke on his tongue.

  Becca quickly came to his rescue. “Since every ICE user who goes into withdrawal doesn’t die, pre-existing conditions or some inconsistency in the ICE doses would be an obvious place to begin looking for cause of death.”

  “Read the files, Ms. Burns,” Adam snapped. “There were no pre-existing conditions and no difference in one vial of ICE from the next.”

  “That we know of—”

  “No pre-existing conditions and no difference in one vial of ICE to the next,” Adam repeated. “Your failure to be more informed disappoints me.”

  He cut his gaze to Dorian. “Show the lady what happens to people who disappoint me.”

  The boy’s lips curled upward, his dark eyes expressive, excited as if he’d been rewarded with a toy, and Becca was that toy. He raised his hands, and the wolves charged at her. She screamed, unaware that the boy, too, could control the wolves. She scrambled to her feet and backed against the concrete beam behind her, trapped as they crowded her so close their breath fanned the bottom of her lab coat.

  Dorian laughed. “I do believe she’s frightened, Father.”

  Becca’s gaze swept toward Milton in the misdirected hope of intervention. His head was on the table, his body shaking.

  With bravado she didn’t feel, Becca pushed herself upright. “I’ll do what you want. But please, I need Milton’s help. Don’t make him suffer.”

  “I take it from your desire to cling to the aid of this human scientist that my scientific team has displeased you?”

  “No,” she said quickly, afraid an insult to his men would get both of them killed. “They’re fine. They’re great. Very helpful.”

  “Good then,” he said. “You would be better served to focus on the big picture and not on a few humans without purpose.”

  “I’m human,” she said softly.

  “You are female,” he said. “You will soon learn how purposeful that is around here.”

  He meant the sex camps. Her mind flashed to those pictures of Sterling with Adam and the wolves as proof she had no allies in this place. Adrenaline and emotions rushed through her, but somehow she stayed focused. Milton was dying. “Please,” Becca said. “I need Milton’s experience and knowledge.”

  Adam glanced at his son. “Give him the drug.”

  “As you wish, Father,” Dorian said, approaching Milton, that evil look of his ravishing her with dread. A sense of something not being right settled hard in her stomach. Dorian grabbed a handful of Milton’s hair and jerked his head backward, shoving a pill in his mouth.

  Oh God. Panic rushed through Becca. “That wasn’t ICE! What did you give him?”

  Dorian’s attention settled on Becca, callousness beyond his age etching his finely carved features as he slammed Milton’s face into the table.

  Becca’s stomach rolled at the hard crash of skull against wood.

  “Lady,” Dorian spoke, tilting his head to study her as if she were a specimen to be evaluated. “I’ve given him what you wished for. He will suffer no more. This should please you.”

  Milton convulsed and fell off the chair.

  “What does that mean?” she screamed, taking a step forward, only to have the wolves growl, warning her to hold her position. “What does that mean, he will suffer no more?” She turned a pleading stare on Adam. “Adam, please! Please, help him. I’ll do anything you want.”

  “You’ll do what I want, regardless,” he replied. “But it will be without him. He is dead. And you are not the only scientist here with your expertise. But you are female, and I do not wish you dead, just motivated. So here is your motivation. Every time I feel you are failing me, I will kill one of the humans. And you are failing me. Consider Milton’s blood is on your hands, Becca.”

  Becca choked on her breath, and this time it had nothing to do with cancer. This wasn’t happening. She squeezed her eyes shut and told herself she’d wake up soon. This was a bad nightmare, a side effect of her treatments in Germany. Minutes of slumber had passed, not hours of captivity.

  Suddenly, Adam was in front of her, the wolves parting to allow him to stand almost on top of her. Becca gasped, shocked at his nearness. He didn’t touch her, yet she could almost swear she felt his hands on her throat. She tried not to move, but he stared at her, the depths of evil in his black, spiraling eyes pouring through her like acid, eating her alive.

  “I suggest you get to work,” Adam said, his voice low, poisonous. “Before I decide to kill another human simply because… well, it’s entertaining. Especially when I watch you worry for them.” He paused as if for effect, then, “Am I clear?”

  She nodded. “Yes,” she whispered, but the word was barely audible, her voice lost in the bile forming with his nearness.

  For several seconds, he studied her, his features stony, intense. “Then do it,” he finally said. “And I’ll leave Milton here to remind you of the consequences of displeasing me.”

  He gave her his back, his wolves following on his heels. Dorian fell into step beside his father, but not before casting Becca a mocking glance. The boy was evil. Born evil. Growing more so with each passing day.

  And when Becca was certain this day could get no worse—a second before the doors closed—Tad’s big, obnoxious self stepped inside.

  “Good news, Becca. Sweetie. Darling. Honey bunch. We have some quality time together. I’m to look out for you.” He smiled and winked. Then walked to Milton and shoved him onto the ground as if he were nothing but trash in the way. “You heard Adam,” he shouted at the group. “Let’s get to work.”

  Anger, pain, and yes, fear, collided inside Becca with a force so mighty, she thought she might collapse. Something happened with that force—energy crackled in the air—glass shattered in various locations of the lab. It was as if her emotions waved through the air with electricity. Her head spun, her chest tightened. Remotely, she heard Tad yelling. And then he was on the floo
r and so were the other scientists. They just dropped like rocks and hit the concrete with hard thuds.

  Becca’s eyes went wide. Her heart jackknifed and then raced. What just happened? She balled her fist over her heart and willed it to stop racing, but her hand was unsteady, shaky. She forced herself to inhale and exhale and count to ten slowly. The dizziness subsided; the room came back into focus.

  Then, and only then, did she scold herself for standing still. She raced to Milton’s side and rolled him over, cringing at his blank, open eyes even as she checked for a pulse she knew she wasn’t going to find.

  Her stomach twisted, and she reached up to close his eyes. More glass around the room shattered as she whispered, “I’m sorry I didn’t save you.” But she didn’t cry—the fury over this cruelty still eating her alive.

  She pushed to her feet and faced the scientists where they lay on the ground. Items in the room began to float. A chair jumped and turned over. Becca could feel the energy coming off her—the power that damn ICE created. And she knew she was the reason those men were on the ground.

  Becca stared at them and then at the locked doors. Badge. They had badges to open the door. Tad would have the highest security clearance she assumed. Without allowing herself time to think, Becca charged forward and bent over Tad, repulsed as she touched his wrist and found a pulse. He wasn’t dead; she didn’t know if she should feel relieved or disappointed. She had no idea what was wrong with them, but she wasn’t going to stay around until they woke up.

  She unclipped the badge from Tad’s shirt and rushed to the doorway. Then she stopped, went back, and yanked his gun from his holster.

  It made her think of how her brother had forced her to handle a gun despite her objections. “Thank you, Kevin,” she murmured. He’d insisted she needed to know so that when he was away at war, she was protected. And so she’d learned.

  One last thought filled her mind. Money. Did she dare hope Tad had any on him? She cringed at the idea of touching him and then reached into his pocket. Nothing. She hopped over him and tried the other pocket. Bingo! A money clip that had a decent amount of cash.

  In a flash, she was at the exit, swiping the security card over the key device. A light turned green, but the doors didn’t open. She punched the keypad next to it in random combinations. Nothing. She tried again. Suddenly, water burst from the fire sprinklers, and the doors opened. Becca stood there under the spray of water, having no idea what to do next. She didn’t know how to get out of this place, and she didn’t know how to get to Sterling, or even if she could trust him if she did. Or anyone else for that matter. Muffled voices sounded down the hall. Time was up. She took off running in the opposite direction.

  Chapter 7

  No way was Sterling leaving Becca to deal with whatever was happening in Zodius City on her own. The minute the fire alarm went off and water started spewing all over him, Sterling did what he’d wanted to do for hours. He busted open the electronic panel by the door and unlocked it himself, immediately heading down the deserted hall for the lab, knowing exactly where he was going. Not only had this section of Zodius City existed when it had been Area 51 and his assigned post, but he’d studied the maps Michael had provided while undercover as Adam’s second.

  Down a flight of stairs, he paused at a door and eased it open only to discover something was blocking it. Holy crap. There was a Zodius soldier face down in front of the door. What was going on, and where was Becca while it was happening? Sterling reeled back and shoved his weight against the door, the water puddle at its base adding resistance. He managed to create a space large enough for him to examine the vacant corridor before he exited. Bending down next to the soldier, Sterling retrieved the man’s weapons, slicking his wet hair back as the uncompromising water covered his face.

  Sterling took off in a light jog and stepped over two more Zodius soldiers lying face down, before he rounded the corner to find the lab door open. His gut clenched as he entered, and he didn’t breathe until he’d confirmed none of the six bodies in the lab were Becca. Fear for Becca seeped into him, twisting him into knots.

  His gaze landed on the computer by the doorway, water pooled around it. Not optimistic, he headed toward it, setting his weapons down to punch some keys. Against all odds, the screen came to life, and he worked his magic. In a minute flat, he had the security feed live and had opened several windows at once, confirming that whatever had happened in this area of the city wasn’t happening elsewhere. Soldiers gathered at a distant corridor, and Sterling had no doubt the only reason this place wasn’t swarming with them was that whatever had set off the alarm and flattened everyone but he and Becca wasn’t contained.

  A few more screens and he wanted to shout from relief. Becca was alive and on the move. He punched in a code to shut down the security cameras and then snatched his weapons. A search of the lab for ICE followed and came up dry. Cursing, he headed after Becca and vowed to find a dealer and the ICE that Becca needed in the city.

  Her path ended at an underground ventilation tunnel he knew would lead to deserted terrain near a highway. Obviously, she’d put her brains to work to figure that out or taken a calculated risk.

  He pulled open the steel door to the tunnel and climbed inside, resealing it behind him. He didn’t dare call out for fear of being heard, but the farther he traveled with no sign of Becca, the more worried he became. When he reached the end of the tunnel, he went topside to discover that Becca was nowhere in sight. He’d lost her again, and she was running on borrowed time. He had no idea if she had a supply of ICE, and he didn’t have the serum.

  ***

  Once the sprinklers were off and the security feed was analyzed, Adam entered the lab with Dorian by his side. He grimaced with disgust at the sight of his second-in-charge knocked out on the floor—the worthless piece of shit. Half the men who’d taken a nap, compliments of Rebecca Burns, were already awake, but Tad lay there sleeping in a puddle of water. He kicked Tad.

  “Get up, you moron. Get up now!”

  Tad jerked to a sitting position, a stunned look on his face. “Holy crap. What the fuck happened?” He jumped to his feet and glanced around to see the scientists on the floor as he had been. “Where’s—”

  “You tell me!” Adam demanded furiously. “She and Sterling are both gone. How is it that your prisoner dropped all of you flat on your asses without lifting a hand, and now she’s missing and the cameras are out? How does that happen with my second-in-charge here? And you idiot, she used your badge to get out of the lab.” Adam motioned to Dorian and then the rest of the men. “Wake them all up.”

  Dorian quickly began kicking the other men with the force of an angry elephant. Despite his irritation, Adam found himself amused at the display.

  The doors to the lab opened, and the lead scientist for the ICE program rushed into the room, his lab coat neatly buttoned, his glasses sliding down his nose. Adam had expected the world when he recruited the brilliant Chinese scientist from under General Powell’s nose, and he’d been given ICE in all its failing glory. Chin was wearing on his nerves and outstaying his welcome, if he wasn’t careful.

  “I just finished watching the camera feed,” Dr. Chin said. “The woman levitated items in the lab and caused the men to pass out. It’s remarkable, like nothing we’ve seen before.”

  Adam ground his teeth, barely containing the urge to snap the man’s neck. “Yet another side effect of ICE we should have known about.”

  Chin pressed his glasses up his nose. “Thousands of people have used ICE, and no one else has developed anything remotely similar to the skills this woman has demonstrated. Perhaps ICE reacted to her recent cancer treatments. I need the woman and her records from the Germany hospital to be certain.” He held up a hand. “I make no promises, but if my theory proves correct, we could combine ICE with the treatments and recreate her skills in your men. But we must locate her quickly before ICE withdrawal kills her. The camera footage showed her taking a small supply, not more
than a few days at most.”

  Adam wanted no part of giving anyone the kind of power this woman had, unless it was him and him alone. He eyed Tad. “Find her, and you kill her. Bring her body to Chin to study.”

  “I need her alive,” Chin argued.

  “I want her dead,” Adam said. “Now, before she can be used as a weapon against us, which means before Sterling manages to get her to Sunrise City and under my brother’s protection.”

  He cut the three dripping wet scientists a look. “You have all failed me, and that comes with a price.” His attention flicked to Tad. “Kill her, and you will be forgiven. Fail… and you will suffer worse than all three of them together.”

  ***

  Becca reached the highway and stripped her jacket off, hiding the gun in its folds. Waving her hands, she raced in front of an oncoming truck and prayed the driver stopped. Her heart racing as he got closer and closer, a huge sigh escaped her lips as the semi came to a screeching halt inches from hitting her.

  Shaking, Becca ran toward the passenger’s door, which popped open, only to have the ICE vials in her jacket crash to the ground. No! No! She bent down and tried to recover them, but they were gone. Her lifeline was gone.

  “You comin’, lady?” the trucker asked.

  “Yes,” she said. She had no other option. She couldn’t go back; she could only go forward and pray she could find a stock of ICE on the streets. Either way, there was a good chance she would die, but she’d be damned if she was doing it before she stopped Adam from hurting anyone else.

  Becca climbed inside the truck and started rambling about a made-up, crazy boyfriend who’d left her on the side of the road, when all she could think about was her supply of ICE being lost. The ICE was gone. Sterling was gone. He’d deceived her, she reminded herself. He wasn’t what he’d seemed. He was never her friend, never her lover, and thank goodness for it. But as her gaze settled on the road, and she was traveling farther and farther away from him, she found herself replaying every moment with him, questioning his true agenda. No matter how she justified leaving him behind, no matter how she told herself she had taken her one chance to leave Zodius City alive and warn the world about Adam, leaving without Sterling hurt.